It’s been an emotional stretch for Boston, and this new group of non-divas seems to be meshing. The real revelation, though, is that Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are both pitching like aces with their former pitching coach John Farrell back as manager.

If the Yankees can continue to hover above .500 and get Granderson and Teixeira back soon, they could be right in the mix for the division title again. But the rate at which their players are going down has to be alarming.

If Tampa Bay goes on to win the division, there’s no question “Cliff” and “Shelly” deserve most of the credit.

Kidding aside, it’s impressive how the quirky Maddon does so much to keep his team loose yet still commands respect and gets results.

The Rays are three games below .500, but they’ve played tough teams to open the year and David Price and Fernando Rodney haven’t pitched well yet. Don't expect them to fall out of the race any time soon.

Who’s hot: First baseman James Loney only has one homer (against the Orioles), but he's leading Tampa Bay with a .358 batting average and .424 on-base percentage heading into Friday.

Who’s not: Price is still winless (0-2) with a 5.52 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. In other words, it’s not just the O’s who have gotten to the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner.